Karl Mecklenburg, LB A dominant player for a decade, Mecklenburg, lacks a Super Bowl victory on his résumé, which may cost him a bust in Canton. A six-time Pro Bowl selection who could line up anywhere and disrupt opposing offenses.

Terrell Davis, RB His first four years in the league, 1995-98, have Hall of Fame written all over them, but injuries sidelined him soon after. Is a sterling four-year run, capped by a 2,008-yard season, enough for the Hall?

Louis Wright, CB Wright, who played in five Pro Bowls, was a "shutdown corner" before anyone used that term. Quarterbacks usually avoided throwing his way, but he still had 26 career interceptions.

Steve Atwater, FS A defensive leader for the back-to-back Super Bowl champions, Atwater's big hits were the stuff of legend. His exclusion symbolizes how Hall voters have overlooked standouts from the Broncos' Super Bowl years.

Randy Gradishar, LBWhen it comes to fan outrage at being snubbed, Gradishar tops the list. A seven-time Pro Bowler, he was the leader of the Orange Crush defense, which paved the way for the Broncos' first Super Bowl appearance.

What’s wrong with this picture from the AFC West? There are 13 Raiders, 10 Chiefs and seven Chargers in the Hall of Fame. But there are only four Broncos (John Elway, Gary Zimmerman, Floyd Little and Shannon Sharpe).

Gradishar leads the lost generation of outstanding Broncos snubbed by pro football history.

“People tell me, ‘You can still go in the Hall when you’re dead,’ ” said Gradishar, who turned 61 years old in March. “So I have hope.”

If the Hall had a clue, here are the top five Broncos whose football greatness should be immortalized with a bust:

Terrell Davis: He scored more touchdowns, gained more rushing yardage and won more championships than Gale Sayers. Know what that makes T.D.? A better football player than Sayers.

Steve Atwater: Forget his eight selections to the Pro Bowl. If winning is what really matters, he was the unsung hero of Denver’s first victory in the Super Bowl.

Louis Wright: As Collier would attest, Wright was a shutdown corner before the term was invented.

Karl Mecklenburg: In 1983, he was a 12th-round draft choice. When Meck retired in 1994, he was the most versatile defender in team history.

Gradishar: He was the seven-time Pro Bowler who put the wallop in the Orange Crush.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame sits a stone’s throw from Interstate 77 in Canton, Ohio. Gradishar was born in Warren, about 50 miles away. He passed the building often as a college student at Ohio State, yet never set foot in the darkened room where the busts of NFL immortals glow until 2004, when Elway was inducted.

At this point, Gradishar’s only shot for enshrinement rests with the Hall’s nine-member seniors committee, which considers the merits of players retired at least 25 years.

“I don’t know if my name comes up for the old-timers. I call it the Dead Man Category,” Gradishar said.

“It has got to the point where I say, ‘Focus on the Lord, and if that (Hall induction) is going to happen, great.’ But I don’t lose any sleep trying to figure it out, because it’s totally out of my control.”

He played 10 years for the Broncos, and doubters refuse to believe Gradishar could have averaged 200 tackles per season. Well, maybe here is some organic evidence that an inside linebacker in Collier’s 3-4 defensive scheme really did instigate all that mayhem.

In 2010, Gradishar had his right knee replaced. In 2011, doctors gave him an artificial left knee. In 2012, Gradishar replaced both shoulders.

He tackled until it hurt. Forever.

“There’s a price you pay. It’s a matter to what degree,” Gradishar said.

He has paid the price twice over for admission to the Hall of Fame.

Let Gradishar in.

And, while we’re at it, let Gradishar bring at least four friends from Denver with him.

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